Contents

About

Beverly Hills, 90210 focuses on the assimilation of a solid, value-oriented Midwestern family into an accelerated Beverly Hills lifestyle. The show explores the realities and myths of social classes in Beverly Hills while at the same time exposing the strains this lifestyle can put on family relationships.[1]

Beverly Hills, 90210 aired on the FOX network from 1990 until 2000 for a total of 10 seasons (as well as two shorter arcs known as the summer seasons). The series initially centered around the friendships, romantic issues and other personal matters of a group of high school students in Beverly Hills, California. The show followed many of these figures into early adulthood as it progressed, while also introducing several new characters and new relationships. During the peak of its success in the early 1990s, Beverly Hills, 90210 gained mainstream worldwide popularity—making its ensemble cast famous, launching 4 spin-offs, and becoming a television icon.

Story

Beverly Hills, 90210 began with the introduction of the Walsh family—parents Jim and Cindy (played by James Eckhouse and Carol Potter), and their teenage twins Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty). As a result of Jim’s job reassignment, the family moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills, California. The story initially presented Brandon as a flawed boy scout, Brenda as a good-hearted rebel, Kelly as a good-natured snob, Steve as a laid-back thrill-seeker, Andrea as a strait-laced smart girl, Dylan as a sensitive loner, David as a geeky musician, and Donna as a quirky, socially awkward girl.

Several of these characters were developed over time, revealing subsequent layers as they matured. In addition, many new characters were introduced during the course of the series' run, and several guest stars appeared in recurring roles. Throughout the show's high school and college years, stories largely centered around the love lives, academic matters, career aspirations, and parental issues of the younger cast.

Among the topics covered were adoption, estrangement, safe sex, substance abuse, romantic affairs, love triangles, race-related school incidents, and budding romances between longtime friends. As the show grew in popularity, several successful musicians of the '90s contributed to Beverly Hills, 90210: The Soundtrack. Additionally, their accompanying music videos aired during the end credits of various episodes. Among these artists were Shanice, Jeremy Jordan, and Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight. In addition, the music video for "Hold On" by Jamie Walters, who starred in the series as Ray Pruit, was also featured. The final episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 aired on May 17, 2000. The series outlived its first two spin-offs, Melrose Place and Models Inc., and would spawn additional spin-offs—90210 and a new Melrose Place—in 2008 and 2009.

Background

During the late 1980s, TV producer Aaron Spelling offered to buy the series known as DegrassiJr. High/Degrassi High, which followed the lives of teens in high school. When the creators declined, Spelling decided to produce his own series, and was subsequently partnered with Darren Star, who created the basic outline of the project. In the autumn of 1990, FOX issued press releases for a show called Class of Beverly Hills—a title that was later applied to the first episode of the series that became Beverly Hills, 90210. Luke Perry did not appear until the show's second episode. Among the series' many writers were Charles Rosin (also an executive producer), Karen Rosin, John Eisendrath, and Steve Wasserman.[2][3]

Theme

The show's now-iconic theme music was not always present in the first airings; some viewers remember an entirely different, somewhat calmer tune that was also heard during the end credits. Furthermore, this tune was accompanied by opening and ending scenes of postal deliveries (depicting the change of address for the Walsh family) that were eventually excluded from the Season 1 montage.

Seasons

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Reunion

Ziering, Doherty, Priestley, Perry, Garth and Carteris

The original cast, including James Eckhouse, Carol Potter and Joe E. Tata, reunited for a 2003 special to discuss the impact which the shows success has had on their lives and careers.

Trivia

Former president of FOX, Barry Diller, came up with the title 'Beverly Hills, 90210'[4]

In a 2010 interview, Beverly Hills, 90210 writer/producer on Seasons 3–7, Larry Mollin, had this to say about the male conduct on set:

'That’s what the guys do. That’s their free shot. Luke’s a wonderful man and Jason [Priestley, Brandon] is a wonderful man. But they are young guy actors on a show, which basically means they get to feel anybody up they want. And that’s just the way they are. I’ve got tons of outtakes of this stuff. That was just the fun of it. That’s just the way it was before sexual harassment became really a watch word in the industry. Young actresses just had to put up with that sh*t. I had seen that for years and years on shows. It was the way it went. Obviously if a girl didn’t like it, she could complain but most of them just put up with it and just expected it. The guys were just like that.'[2]

Larry Mollin on the show post-Doherty:

'All the kids hated the show by season 5, other than Tori. They all just hated it. Every day they would come in was just torture for them.'[2]